Roadtrip First Stop: Disneyland

Two friends and I decided to take a long weekend roadtrip – first to Disneyland, then to Las Vegas. We could have only gone to Anaheim and I would have been perfectly content.

First Stop: The Happiest Place On Earth! 🙂

Keep in mind that November 1 was the day after the SF Giants victory parade (which I proudly attended), and that even in Southern California with Dodgers and Angels fans, the first people I saw were Giants fans. 🙂

After checking into our hotel and a glass of red wine, we headed straight to Disneyland.

As far as hotels, I absolutely recommend booking something within walking distance of Disneyland. If you are planning to spend the the whole time in Downtown Disney, Disneyland, and/or California Adventures, this is the best option.

First, you don’t need to worry about parking since you can leave your car for free in the hotel lot.

More importantly, you may want to go back to the hotel to take a nap, change, or refuel.

My friends and I got a great rate at the Best Western across the street on Harbor Boulevard and we booked it just a few days before the trip. We arrived at Best Western at 9 a.m. for early check-in and decided to upgrade to a suite for $30. The total cost of the hotel was about $150 for 3 people. We booked it last minute, so I’m sure you can find even better rates especially when planning ahead.

As I was saying, a glass of wine and pounds of junk food later, we were ready to embark on our Disney adventures at 10:00 am!

(No judging because… what’s a roadtrip without junk food?!)

Welcome to a land free of worries. Welcome to a land where people tell you to have a magical day. BOY DID I HAVE A MAGICAL DAY. It’s nice to enjoy a vacation that brings back childhood memories and reminds you of why you love to live.

I bought the tickets online at Disneyland’s website for $89 a piece and chose $5 for will-call instead of printing free at home. For some reason I like to keep ticket stubs as a souvenier and it was worth it!!! They gave us these adorable tickets that happened to match each one of our personalities. If you’re a ticket-stub kind of person, pay the 5 bucks. Which Disney personality are you?

In terms of ticket pricing, there are a lot of different websites that sell Disneyland tickets. We chose the 1-day pass to 1 theme park. In this case, there wasn’t a big price difference. However, if you are looking for a travel package or multiple-day park hopper, there are a lot of great deals out there. I know there are AAA discounts, Costco discounts, and more. Doing a little bit of research can save you those dollars. And those extra dollars can be spent on more souveniers in Disneyland!

It’s funny how every little thing in this land can make me excited.

If you’re looking for a free souvenier, here is a tip. Go to Disneyland City Hall and ask them for a pin! They’ll ask you things like… What’s the occasion? Is it your first time? The occasion was “It’s a girls trip”, and it was my first time that I can remember since I was 3 years old.

Tigger and Pooh, all fun with Roo
McQueen and o’l Mater, no time for Haters.

I found it necessary to bust out a rhyme… and this is why I’m not a poet.

Anyway…

One thing that was really cool about going the day after Halloween was that we were able to see a Christmasween fuse. Everything was still decorated with the Halloween/Fall theme with a layer of frosting on top. Also, the theme park was a lot less crowded since everyone was there on Halloween for the hype. We didn’t have to wait in long lines or get fast passes!

Even though it was only a one-day stop on our road-trip, it was a great day. I got to hug Mickey Mouse, eat rainbow sherbert ice cream, go on a Star Wars Adventure, wear light-up Minnie ears… and that wasn’t it. We went shopping in Downtown Disney. Take a Disney-loving shop-a-holic and put her in Disneyland and you get a disaster for her wallet. Mugs, shot glasses, shirts, pins, magnets… ahhh. I am proud to be a tourist.

After all that, we went back into Disneyland and ended the day with the Mickey’s Soundsational Parade. All the characters came out waving, dancing, singing… No wonder they call it the happiest place on Earth.

If you want to play in lala-land for a day, go to Disneyland.

I can’t guarantee that you’ll love work on Monday, but you will have a smile on your face when taking a sip of coffee out of your new Disneyland mug. 🙂

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Hey! I went a few weeks before you did! I had to go for the Haunted Mansion-turned-to-Nightmare Before Christmas ride. 🙂 And that’s my favorite kind of vacation – Disneyland and Las Vegas! Now that’s a road trip!